Page 81 of Quarterback Sneak
“Wait.”
Quint turns away, dejected before he whirls back around and snatches a sweet potato from the other skillet. “Ah, oh.” He juggles the potato in his mouth with his tongue, looking ridiculous and not earning any compassion from neither Zane nor me.
“He told you it was hot,” I remind him.
Quint groans. “Are you always going to take his side now?”
“Yes,” I tell Quint without breaking a smile.
He groans again and stalks out of the kitchen. “Thanks for the back-up,” Zane says giving me a high-five. I can’t help but smile.
“Okay, what else do we need?”
“Come here,” Zane whispers. I look at him curiously as I walk over to him.
“What are we doing?” I ask, but he hushes me.
“We’re making my secret sauce.”
That piques my attention. “Okay. Do I get to know?”
“Of course; you’re my sous chef.”
I can’t help my smile. He pauses a moment, his eyes on my face. Then he smiles himself and gathers ingredients. “What sauce are we making?” I ask quietly.
“My own take on chipotle sauce.”
I frown. “Is it any good?”
He turns to me, exasperated. “Woman, after all this, you still have no trust in me?”
I can’t help the laugh that slips out. “Okay, fine.”
He grins and grabs everything he needs. He puts every ingredient in front of me, so I can see what he’s making. He starts by opening a can of chipotle peppers and dumping them into the blender. Then he adds Greek yogurt, soy sauce, honey, lime juice, garlic, and some water. He pulses it all together and lifts the lid.
“It smells good,” I tell him.
“Itisgood,” he counters.
He takes out a spoon and dips it into the sauce and holds it out for me. I lean forward and take a taste of it. And immediately regret it. My mouth flames instantly, and my eyes water. He steps towards me.“What’s wrong?”
“Spicy,” I rasp out. My eyes are still watering.
He whirls around and grabs milk out of the fridge and pours me a cup. “Drink that.” He then takes another spoon and dips it into the concoction and takes a bite. His eyes go wide, and he reaches for my milk. I can’t help the laugh that bursts out of me, even though my mouth is still on fire.
He frowns at the sauce. “What happened?”
I can’t help my grin. “I don’t know, Master Chef. What happened?”
He scowls and whips out his phone, raising his finger to me in the universal sign forwait a second. “Mom,” he says a moment later. “Quick question for you. I’m making your chipotle sauce.”
I drop my hands to my hips.Your mom’s?I mouth to him. He smirks and nods at something his mom says.
“Yeah, I did all that.” He frowns. “I put the whole can in.” Then a moment later, he says, “Oh.” His eyes meet mine. “Two peppers,” he says sheepishly.
I shake my head. “We put the whole can in.”
He smiles. “Evie’s here helping me cook.” His eyes never leave mine. “She is.” I wonder what his mom said. “So, what can we do to save this sauce?” He nods and then says a few more things while I work on cleaning up our mess. “Okay, thanks, Mom. Love you too.”
